Temple Univ. Protest Jabs At Corbett’s School Funding Reductions

Related Tags:

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Just about every week since Governor Tom Corbett unveiled his no-tax-hike Pennsylvania state budget in early March, there have been demonstrations around the Commonwealth.

The proposed budget would result in some of the deepest cuts in recent history for public schools and colleges.

Today, a protest was held on the Temple University campus in North Philadelphia.

The Temple University Graduate Student Association is distressed that the proposed state budget would cut about $82 million, or more than 50 percent, of the funds the university gets from the Commonwealth.

One of the organizers, Ed Avery-Natale, says he realizes that the governor is trying to balance the budget but thinks Corbett’s priorities are all wrong.

“He’s not taxing Marcellus Shale drilling. He’s giving more than $400 million in tax breaks to corporations,” says Avery-Natale.

Gov. Corbett has said the Commonwealth, which was looking at a $4-billion deficit, could not keep subsidizing the 14 state-owned and state-related universities, which include Temple, Penn State, and Lincoln.